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Steve took a deep breath. And then another. And then another...he knew he was overreacting, really, he did. He didn't need anyone to tell him what a nervous nelly he was being right now. But he couldn't seem to stop his hands from shaking. It was Father’s Day, and he had been planning for this moment for two weeks in advance. Eli and Jim had even helped him plan it out, as they had no father figures of their own to be concerned about. (Although, Steve knew Jim had plans to spend the day with Blinky, so he called bullshit.) It was early in the morning, the sun having just peeked over the horizon. Steve had been up since long before that, and the fruits of his labor where finally ready for harvest. Just in time, since he could hear his parents coming down the stairs. He rushed to put the finishing touches on their plates and spun around just in time to greet them as they entered the doorway.His mother and the Coach both stopped dead in their tracks. Steve plastered on what he hoped was a good smile as he walked over to the table and set their plates down next to the flowers and the cookies he’d already put out.He couldn't exactly blame them for being as shell shocked as they where, Steve wasn't stupid. Well...he wasn't brain dead, at least. He knew how he had acted towards both of them, how he still acted sometimes. He knew how childish it was. Which was why he was determined to show everyone that he wasn't a complete buttsnack, he was going to force himself to show his appreciation for others even if it killed him. Both of his parents still hadn't spoken or moved. Steve glanced between them and the table, clasping his hands behind his back. “Happy Father’s Day and late Mother’s Day?” Steve announced, wincing at how uncertain he sounded to his own ears. The whole Apocalypse thing had kind of made everyone’s plans for Mother’s Day this year obsolete. Not that Steve had ever bothered to celebrate anything like this before - but that was what he was going to make up for, starting now!His mother blinked a few times as if she couldn't comprehend what was happening. Coach Lawrence had known what was happening the second he saw it, and his eyes had already welled up with happy tears. “You did all this for us?” Patricia asked, still blinking as if she’d walked into an alien world. It only made Steve’s guilt rise over his satisfaction, and he felt his face start to waver in regret. Coach must have seen it, because he grabbed Patricia’s hand and pulled her towards the table, while Steve pulled out a chair for her to sit down. “Jim and Eli helped me figure it out, but, I just wanted to do a little something…” He replied, taking his own seat as they all began to dig in. “This is amazing, buddy!” Coach said, his face beaming as he looked around, like he couldn’t believe he was allowed to be included in this. Steve piled more sausages onto his plate and gave him a special smile as he did, so the Coach would know this wasn’t just about making things up to his mom. It was about appreciating both of them. The Coach reached out and squeezed his hand, and Steve felt warmth blossom in his chest. Meanwhile, Patricia was moaning and letting her eyelids flutter closed as she tastes the pecan pancakes. Steve found himself enjoying cooking way more than he ever had before. Turned out, if you really put effort into something for other people, it made you feel really good when those people enjoyed what you made for them. Who knew? Jim. Jim knew. He’d specifically told Steve as much, in fact.“These are amazing, sweetie, thank you so much!” She gushed, and Steve started to cut into his own pancakes now that he knew his plan had worked. He smiled to himself in contentment as his parents enthusiastically dug into their breakfast.---------------Usually Steve rode his Vespa to school, but today as he and Coach had headed out the door, instead of going in different directions Steve had asked for a ride. The Coach had nearly started crying again, because he knew what Steve was really asking. He was asking for them to be seen together as father and son in front of the whole school. The cat might already be out of the bag on that one, but it still meant a lot.The ride was pleasant, as they hummed along to the radio together and Steve enjoyed the feeling of knowing he could relax around the Coach, he didn’t have to worry about keeping his guard up. He chewed on one of the cookies he’d snagged off the table before they left, letting his mind drift as he listened to the man next to him hum and whistle. Suddenly, their peaceful atmosphere was disrupted by the sound of Steve’s phone pinging with the sharp tone he’d assigned to his father. Steve felt himself stiffen up, and heard the Coach’s humming drop off abruptly. Steve felt his mouth go dry as he slowly lifted his phone off the seat next to him, glancing at the notification.GIANT ASSHOLE:
What are you doing today, kiddo? Steve stared at the words for a long time, feeling his stomach churn. His dad wanted to see him. He hadn’t so much as acknowledged Steve existed ever since he’d moved out a few months ago. God, that seemed like a lifetime ago…his father had never cared about Father’s Day before...maybe now that he and his mom were split up, he thought he should care? Well, tough luck, because Steve sure as hell didn’t care. He set the phone back down without opening it.“Everything okay, Steve?” The Coach asked. Steve nodded silently, crossing his arms. “It’s nothing.” He said, even though he could barely stop himself from grinding his teeth together in increasing rage. Kiddo. He hated when his dad called him that. It was always after he’d done something particularly bad, and then let enough time pass to where he thought it hadn’t happened, or didn’t matter anymore.The last time Steve had “talked” to his dad, his dad had grabbed him around the throat and almost choked him out, if not for his mom threatening to call the cops. He could still feel the bruises, even though he knew they had faded forever ago. And now here he was, expecting everything to be fine and dandy. Kiddo. Steve felt the overwhelming urge to scream and hit something, but it only made him feel worse. “If you want to see him -” The Coach started to say gently, and Steve couldn’t bear to hear the rest of that sentence.“I’d rather die!” He snapped harshly, and then regretted it when he saw how the Coach flinched. A grown man flinching away from him was laughable. Steve sighed, reaching to rub his eyes and bury his face in his hands.“I’m sorry. I know you’re trying to help. He just...I can’t. The last time he saw me he tried to...he...and now it’s like nothing even happened. It drives me crazy, makes me just like him...and now i’m going to spend the rest of the day like this…” “You’re not like him, Steve. You are one of the most emotionally intelligent kids i’ve ever met. You actively try and better yourself everyday, that’s rare.” The Coach assured him, “You don’t have to let one thing like that ruin your day, Steve, or your self esteem. You should be proud of yourself for how far you’ve come, he could never fathom it, with that pea-brain of his. Here, how about this, after school we’ll take your mom and go to dinner and movie? The new Marvel movie? You can bring Eli if you want!” Steve smiled at him, feeling some of the darkness recede again as the text faded to the back of his brain. “That sounds awesome!”“Not as awesome as that breakfast you made us!” The Coach replied, causing Steve to flush.“It wasn’t that big of a deal…” He muttered, beginning to feel unsure about how to actually take praise he deserved. It was foreign, but...nice. “Well, it was to me. I’ve never…” The Coach swallowed. “I’ve been alone a long time. I’ve never had anyone do anything for me like that, not since I was a kid.” Steve watched him drive for a moment after that, realizing he hadn’t ever thought about the Coach’s life before his mom and him. It felt like a puzzle piece was falling into place, and he felt himself moving to close the gap between them, pressing himself into the Coach’s side as he drove and letting his head lean on his shoulder. Neither of them said anything. They didn’t need to.